ISDH Mission: Promoting and providing essential public health services to protect Indiana communities

ISDH Vision: A healthier and safer Indiana

Trauma and Injury Prevention Division Mission: Develop a state-wide trauma system to protect Hoosier communities

Trauma and Injury Prevention Division Vision: Prevent injuries in Indiana

"In The Process"

The EMS Commission’s Triage and Transport Rule requires the most severely injured patients to be taken to a trauma center.  For the purposes of the rule, a trauma center is defined as a hospital that is verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), a hospital that is state designated as a trauma center – such as in Illinois who doesn’t use the ACS to verify trauma centers, or a hospital that is “in the process” of becoming a trauma center.  This last phrase was added to allow hospitals that want to become trauma centers the opportunity to receive the patients necessary to show a track record of excellent trauma care required for the ACS verification process.

The EMS Commission has posted the forms necessary to apply to become an “in the process” hospital.  By filling out these forms and submitting them to the EMS Commission, members of the Indiana State Trauma Care Committee will review these documents and make a recommendation to the State Health Commissioner who will make the final recommendation to the EMS Commission who will then respond to the applicant regarding their “in the process” designation.  Approval by the EMS Commission will define a hospital as a Trauma Center for purposes of the Triage and Transport Rule allowing any EMS Provider to take trauma patients to your facility.

The form can be found on their web site, located here.

Please mail complete packet to:

ATTN: Mara Snyder
Legal & Code Services
Indiana Department of Homeland Security
302 West Washington Street, Room W246
Indianapolis, IN 46204

2013 Statewide Trauma Tours Update

The Division of Trauma and Injury Prevention has completed its first tour around the state that updated the trauma community on what the Division has been doing since the "Listening Tour" last year and to educate as many people as possible about what to expect as we continue to put together a comprehensive statewide trauma system for the State of Indiana.  The second trip around the state, the Division and ImageTrend will be teaching interested providers how to use the free ImageTrend EMS software that was discussed in the first tour.

Please stay tuned for updates and results from each meeting.

2013 Training Tour

• 2013 Training Tour Sessions
• Register for the 2013 Training Tour Sessions

2013 Education Tour - Completed

• 2013 Education Tour Sessions
• 2013 Trauma Tour Announcement

Rural Trauma Team Development Course Opportunity

The Indiana State Department of Health’s (ISDH) trauma and injury prevention program has teamed up with the agency’s Office of Primary Care to fund efforts by Indiana trauma centers to work with non-trauma hospitals to better coordinate trauma care throughout the state, especially in rural areas.

The agency will fund trauma centers to teach the Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC), which emphasizes the important role of smaller, often rural, non-trauma hospitals in the overall state trauma system.  The RTTDC program covers key concepts in the triage of trauma patients, including the decision whether the hospital can meet the patient’s needs or needs to transfer the patient to a trauma center.  Understanding everyone’s role in a statewide trauma system is crucial in providing good care to trauma patients, especially in light of the fact that at least 60% of all trauma deaths occur in areas where only 25% of the population lives.

If your facility is interested in participating in the RTTDC program with a nearby trauma center, please contact the ISDH (Katie Gatz at 317.234.7321 or kgatz@isdh.in.gov) or your nearest trauma center:

Key highlights of trauma and injury prevention for the state of Indiana are:

• Injury is the No. 1 killer of Hoosiers under the age of 45 and the No. 5 killer of Hoosiers of all ages.
• Problems posed by injury are most acute in our rural areas.
• A major way that states address the problem of trauma is through the design, implementation and oversight of a statewide trauma system. The ISDH has that statutory responsibility in Indiana.
• Bad things happen where state trauma systems are not in place; where trauma systems exist, they save lives. Trauma systems lower preventable death rates by as much as 25-30 percent.
• Indiana has in place several elements of a statewide trauma system, but we don’t yet have what can honestly be described as a “system.” Other challenges with our current approach to trauma include:
  • We don’t have enough EMS providers, especially in rural areas.
  • There aren’t enough trauma centers.
  • At the state level, not all components of the trauma system are located in the same state agency.

See the Trauma White Paper for more information about the trauma system in Indiana.